first of all, don’t be jealous! in my opinion, jealousy is the least productive emotion out there. it’s better to channel that energy into doing/learning/being/creating. so, a few pointers: a) if you’re in college, intern. I know, I give that advice every six minutes but it’s the best first step towards a career in fashion (or anything). it’s a way to test the waters. if you’re not in college (or even if you are), you should b) do your research. read/follow/know everything there is to know about the field. ask questions. be inquisitive. and c) be patient. I’ve been working in magazines for many, many years—it didn’t happen overnight!

so, okay, this will absolutely not be the advice you want to hear but… enjoy your time in high school. first of all, 99 percent of companies (Conde Nast included) require interns to be in college. and interning in high school might be a great experience for you, but chances are most employers will care more about the internships you had as a college junior, not high school junior. I know you’re eager to get your “real life” started—I remember feeling the same way—but the working world will be waiting for you in five years. and once you start working (no matter how much you love your job), it’s still work and it’s pretty much for the rest of your life. so take all the possible detours you can now—that study abroad experience in Spain, that sewing class, etc—while doing as much research and as many informational interviews you can about fashion (and maybe a summer program at FIT or Parson’s?). with all that said I’ll get off my soapbox now!

first of all, thanks for following me on all my platforms. aren’t you sick of me by now? so, I don’t know how you are with your makeup but I for one lose beauty products faster than the speed of light. I’ll get a new lip stain or balm, toss it in my bag to use it throughout the day, and then a few days later—by which time I’ve most definitely switched to a different bag—I’ll be like “drat! where did that lipstick go?” (the positive side, when I do find the product a few months later, it’s all very exciting). anyway! that’s all a long way of saying that if I had to buy beauty products, I’d so go with the strategy of buying many things then, like, one fifty dollar lipstick. so here are some of my favorites: *Maybelline Baby Lips in the red tint. love! *Revlon: Gucci Westman’s shades are always spot on and they do a mean red. *Neutrogena lip glosses, if you’re looking for a natural finish *Cover Girl: my favorite lipstick is their purpley-pink Coy. it’s very quirky-cute!